A few weeks ago, Massachusetts voters rejected a major expansion of charter schools statewide. In Chicago, a new teachers union contract limits charter capacity and threatens to strangle the growth of excellent charter schools in the city. The NAACP has demanded a moratorium on charter expansion nationally.

Into this charter-chilling atmosphere steps Betsy DeVos, President-elect Donald Trump's pick to head the U.S. Department of Education. We like DeVos. Opinions vary: Karen Lewis, head of the Chicago Teachers Union, calls her a "nightmare."

DeVos, a Michigan philanthropist, has helped lead the national battle to expand education opportunities for children. She and her husband, Dick, who ran the parent company of Amway, helped pass Michigan's first charter school law more than two decades ago. They started a political action committee to support candidates who back tuition vouchers. She chairs the American Federation for Children, which has fought for school choice, including vouchers and tax-credit scholarships. She has served on the board of the Foundation for Excellence in Education, a reform group launched by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.

Donald Trump has named Steve Mnuchin — a Goldman Sachs alum and hedge fund manager — to be his secretary of the Treasury, in keeping with his repeated promise to take on Wall Street and the powers-that-be on behalf of the little guy.

So can we stop pretending that Trump's campaign "populism" was...

Donald Trump has named Steve Mnuchin — a Goldman Sachs alum and hedge fund manager — to be his secretary of the Treasury, in keeping with his repeated promise to take on Wall Street and the powers-that-be on behalf of the little guy.

So can we stop pretending that Trump's campaign "populism" was...

(Paul Waldman)

No, DeVos doesn't have the typical educrat's resume. But she's successful and relentless. She backs innovation and giving families escape routes from inferior schools. We think she'll breathe more oxygen into a public education industry that, in Illinois and elsewhere, resists accountability and disruptive reform while millions of children languish in low-wattage, taxpayer-owned schools.

In a recent series of editorials, we've urged a Schoolchild's Bill of Rights to guarantee the best education for all students. That means offering students and their parents more and better choices. As the nation's leading education official, DeVos should have the power to expand education options. Nurturing high-quality charters is one way to do that. DeVos could boost the federal charter school program that helps expand and replicate the most successful schools. She could encourage districts to give the same funding to charters as they give to neighborhood schools. She could promote innovation — the best practices in high-performing classrooms, charter or not.

We've advocated state-funded vouchers so children and parents can flee lousy schools for better ones, public or private. Sadly, the voucher effort flounders in Illinois, in large part because teachers union leaders who feel threatened by competition wield so much clout. That failure of lawmakers strands students.

Could DeVos help persuade Springfield that it's time to join Indiana, Ohio and other states to offer children this option? Sure. Could her Education Department create incentives for states to experiment or expand in this vital arena? We think so.

When Donald Trump takes office, he says, one of his first acts will be to pull out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a proposed trade deal with 11 other nations. Illinois farmers and factory owners are dismayed. China's thrilled. What does that tell you about the wisdom of Trump's decision? Let's...

When Donald Trump takes office, he says, one of his first acts will be to pull out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a proposed trade deal with 11 other nations. Illinois farmers and factory owners are dismayed. China's thrilled. What does that tell you about the wisdom of Trump's decision? Let's...

(Editorial Board)

The feds' role in local education has scaled back under the law that replaced No Child Left Behind. But the Education Department still has the power to streamline — or complicate — educators' lives via regulation and red tape. It can cost, or save, districts millions of dollars. "She could have immediate impact in lightening the regulatory burden on schools and states, which yields a cost savings," Leslie Hiner, head of programs at EdChoice, formerly the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice, tells us.

DeVos "has a lot of influence in the reform community," Peter Cunningham, a former Obama administration education official and now executive director of the reform-minded nonprofit Education Post, tells us. "She is unequivocally a champion for choice. The question is whether she is a champion for quality."

We expect DeVos will prove that she is. She should be a voice for all the nation's schoolchildren, not just those in charters. She can also remind Americans that charters aren't the enemy of public schools; they are public schools. Some boost academic progress significantly, some do not. The task of DeVos, of every school official and educator, is to expand the best charters and close the worst.

That is happening in Chicago. Yet the mission here should be to encourage high-quality charter organizations nationwide to plant their flags in Chicago. The recent teachers union contract that limits charter growth won't help.

In his campaign, Trump promised to direct $20 billion in existing federal grants to boost private and charter school choices for low-income children. We're waiting to hear the details on that.

He also said he'd be "the nation's biggest cheerleader for school choice." His choice of DeVos suggests that Trump intends to deliver on that promise.

The New York businessman has tapped a slate of people very much in his own vein to serve alongside him — billionaires and multimillionaires.

The New York businessman has tapped a slate of people very much in his own vein to serve alongside him — billionaires and multimillionaires.

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The New York businessman has tapped a slate of people very much in his own vein to serve alongside him — billionaires and multimillionaires.

The New York businessman has tapped a slate of people very much in his own vein to serve alongside him — billionaires and multimillionaires.

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During a press briefing on Dec. 1, 2016, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said "Mr. Trump would have to make 804 more announcements just like [the Carrier deal] to equal the standard of jobs in the manufacturing sector that were created" under President Obama. Dec. 1, 2016. (The White House)

During a press briefing on Dec. 1, 2016, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said "Mr. Trump would have to make 804 more announcements just like [the Carrier deal] to equal the standard of jobs in the manufacturing sector that were created" under President Obama. Dec. 1, 2016. (The White House)

CAPTION

The court’s conservative justices said they were inclined to reverse a 9th Circuit Court decision requiring immigration judges to give a bond hearing and consider possible release for noncitizens who have been jailed for more than six months, while the liberal justices sounded unsure as to whether a specific time limit can be upheld. Nov. 30, 2016.

The court’s conservative justices said they were inclined to reverse a 9th Circuit Court decision requiring immigration judges to give a bond hearing and consider possible release for noncitizens who have been jailed for more than six months, while the liberal justices sounded unsure as to whether a specific time limit can be upheld. Nov. 30, 2016.

Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) introduces a resolution urging President-elect Donald Trump to address possible conflicts of interest related to his business dealings and assets. The measure calls on Trump to place his assets in a "true blind trust" with managers operating independently of the owner. Senator Cardin says this is necessary under the Constitution's Emoluments Clause. Nov. 29, 2016. (C-SPAN)

Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) introduces a resolution urging President-elect Donald Trump to address possible conflicts of interest related to his business dealings and assets. The measure calls on Trump to place his assets in a "true blind trust" with managers operating independently of the owner. Senator Cardin says this is necessary under the Constitution's Emoluments Clause. Nov. 29, 2016. (C-SPAN)